In the fabrication of prosthetic dental devices or dental restoratives it is necessary to bake or kiln-fire the restorative itself or portions thereof, as well as materials used in intermediate steps resulting in the final device. When baking the restorative it is essential to support it above the oven or kiln floor to avoid contamination and physical damage and to promote uniform heat distribution. Further, the restorative must be supported from the underside to avoid any damage to the outer surface. This task is complicated by the fact that each prosthetic device, such as a dental bridge or crown, is custom designed and personally fitted, thereby having a unique shape and size. Accordingly, each restorative requires a uniquely shaped or configured support device.
In an effort to accomplish these ends porcelain firing trays were developed that included a base with integrally cast upwardly extending supports, such as cones. However, fixed supports such as these fail to provide the versatility to adequately support prosthetic devices of varying shapes and sizes because the cones are not moveable with respect to one another and they are all of a fixed uniform height. Other procelain supports include a pegboard design having uniformly spaced peg holes and moveable support pegs. These pegboard trays offer some versatility, but, even with a variety of peg configurations, are still restricted to a limited number of support combinations as determined by the location of the uniformly spaced peg holes and the fixed length of the pegs.
A still further drawback is the rectangular or circular configuration of the support base, which, in the prior art devices, is disposed below the entire prosthetic device while it is baked in order to lend sufficient support to the vertical pins or pegs. The proximity of the base and prosthetic device impedes the convection heat flow around the device resulting in non-uniform and inconsistent baking.